Former Corsicana resident to celebrate 105th birthday
Feb. 23—"You know, that was several years ago, back when I was only a hundred."
Conversations with centenarians are usually educational. Many times, they are humorous and occasionally even eye-opening. There is no doubt, however, that you will hear something you just don't hear every day.
Lillie Mae Jones will celebrate her 105th birthday next Thursday.
Let's repeat that. One — hundred-and-five.
That is a long and full life ladies and gentlemen. And she seems nowhere near the finish line today. Lillie Mae Jones is articulate and funny. She doesn't need to pause to think of her words. Keeping up with her is quite a challenge and she brings her A game every day.
"I was born in Stephens, Arkansas," Jones said. "I grew up there."
The date was Feb. 23, 1918. As a point of reference, Babe Ruth had not yet been traded to the Yankees and it was theoretically not yet illegal to mail children via parcel post. Both of those things were rectified in 1920.
Jones grew up on a farm and learned all the lessons that life and a caring father could teach her. Some of her favorite memories are from those days.
"I love to think about being a little girl coming up," Jones said. "We went to school, but many times the road was muddy, and we couldn't go, so Daddy taught us."
Farming was not a lucrative endeavor for the Jones family, but wealth came in different ways.
"Daddy grew everything. He planted sorghum, peas, peanuts and corn," Jones said. "He also grew ribbon cane, and we made our own syrup. In the spring we would gather blackberries and can them. We didn't have a lot of money, but we always had plenty of food."
In 1936, Jones relocated to Corsicana where she spent almost three decades working at Milhaven Nursing Home before turning her focus to raising her eight children. She now has 19 grandchildren, 51 great-grandchildren and 36 great-great-grandchildren.
Of course, things are a little different today. Jones now lives in Dallas with her granddaughter Donna. Times are different for her, but she is concerned more about how the world has changed.
"Let me tell you something, back in my day girls and boys didn't go to jail," Jones said. "We didn't kill each other. We worked. We didn't have time to get in trouble."
Jones does, however, find some humor in the secret to long life.
"I knew doing what my daddy told me to do would let me live longer!" Jones said with a laugh. "I also learned to obey God and treat everybody how I want to be treated."
Jones is particularly fond of one memory of her father.
"Daddy would tell us of things that would come to pass," Jones said. "He once told us that one day a black man would rise up and sit in a place where only white men once sat. When Obama was elected I cried. I wish my daddy could have seen that."
Reaching 105 years of age certainly earns one the privilege of offering advice. Jones' advice to young people today is simple: Do what is right.
"Daddy told us 'Children, if you do what the bible says you won't have problems,'" Jones said. "Sometimes we got in trouble if our bucket wasn't full of shelled peas or shucked corn. Some days I thought my daddy was the meanest. But everything he told us was the holy truth."
A birthday celebration will be held for Jones from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb 26 at the MLK Center, located at 1114 E. 6th Ave. in Corsicana.
Happy Birthday Lillie Mae. Here's to the next 105.
